One of the reasons some studies haven’t shown more impressive results tying disease reduction to the quantity of fruit and vegetable consumption (EPIC Study) may be because of the quality of fruit and vegetable consumption.

Variety is also important. We know, for example, spinach is healthier than lettuce (#1 Anticancer Vegetable~comparison of salad greens).

A big salad is better than small, but is spring greens mesclun mix a better choice than straight spinach? Is it healthier to eat one apple and one orange than it is to eat three apples or three oranges?

Though there are generic plant compounds like vitamin C that are found scattered throughout the plant kingdom, there are also specific phytonutrients produced by specific plants to perform specific functions, both in their organs and ours.

We miss out on these if we’re stuck in a fruit and vegetable rut, even if we’re eating many servings a day.

Likewise, you won’t get lemonoids like lemonin and limonol or tangeretin in apples. Comparing apples and oranges is like, well, comparing apples and oranges.

At the same time, all fruits are just fruits, whereas a vegetables can be any other part of the plant. As I lay out in Apples and Oranges: Dietary Diversity, roots harbor different nutrients than shoots.

Carrots are roots, celery and rhubarb are stems, dark green leafies are leaves of course, peas are pods, and cauliflower is true to it’s name as a collection of flower buds, but all fruits are just fruits.

The available evidence suggests it may be most important to get in a variety of vegetables so you can benefit from all the different parts of the plant.

We know that whole foods are better than eating individual nutrients.

For example, a carrot is better than a beta carotene pill, because of what’s been called nutrient synergy where the whole is greater than the sum of its parts, as many of the nutrients interact and complement one another.

The same can be said of various food combinations. I’ve talked about the wonders of the spice turmeric (Oxalates in Cinnamon), but the key component has very poor bioavailability.

Just a tiny bit of tumeric will get into your bloodstream after eating a nice curry, unless, you add some black pepper.

The phytonutrient in black pepper boosts the absorption of the turmeric phytonutrient 2000%! That’s why dietary diversity is so important.

Researchers found no difference in inflammation between those eating 6 servings of vegetables a day and those eating 2 servings, but those eating the more variety, even if they didn’t necessarily eat greater overall quantities, ended up with significantly less inflammation.

This supports the American Heart Association’s latest dietary guidelines, which, for the first time added a recommendation for eating a variety of fruits and vegetables.